Anora
by QueenKirriana
Summary: This is a stand alone tale of what I believed would run through her mind when overthrown by Alistair and my Warden Kirriana Cousland. It follows her just after Alistair decides to shove her in the tower until the Archdemon has been dealt with. Now Anora has nothing to lose, having already lost her husband, father and throne. For once she finds herself at the mercy of fate.


"Put her in the tower for now. If I fall against the Blight, then she can have her throne. If not… then we'll see." Alistair said gruffly. My heart would've sank if I hadn't thought it beneath me. How dare that Grey Warden and that royal bastard suddenly decide that they should be in control of the monarchy! Alistair may be Maric's bastard son but I was Cailan's wife. I was the true ruler of Ferelden for five long years! I am the only one who knows how to rule. The moment the crown touches his pretty little head, the whole kingdom will fall to ruin. How dare the nobles betray me and my father like this?! I should've seen them all hanged, including Eamon. He lead an uprising behind my very back when he was Cailan's uncle. My father sacrificed many things for this kingdom and now the price includes his life. Loghain Mac Tir was a great man. A war hero. A legend. A man who made mistakes, I admit but he did what was best for Ferelden. Then the Warden came along and ruined it all. The Warden has amassed an army of Dwarves, Dalish Elves, Mages and the remainder of Eamon's men who didn't die during the attacks on Redcliffe and now she has used Eamon, Alistair and everyone else who was fool enough to believe and follow her. And now that bitch is going to be queen. Hah! That would suit. The Royal Bastard King and his Conniving Warden Queen.

The guards threw me into my cell with a great force. I had to pick myself off the floor with what little dignity I had left. The guard sneered "You've just been overthrown ma'am. You'll be here until his highness decides what to do with you. However long that takes." I cannot believe the mistreatment that I am receiving from the servants who served me until 10 minutes ago. Their fickle minds are of no concern to me. May the Maker turn his graceful gaze from them and have no mercy upon their traitorous souls. I may not have been the most friendly monarch but that doesn't mean that I didn't rule the country behind my husband's image to simply have all I worked to achieve torn down in a matter of hours. I always did what was best for them. Sometimes what I thought was the right choice upon reflection wasn't so. Thought my father always told me that it doesn't matter what the people think of you as long as they know that you'll do what they need. The Warden herself called me a bitch because my actions seemed so. People often think badly of people that they do not understand the actions of. I sit down elegantly on the unkempt "bed" if that is what I would dare call it. I take in my surroundings and that is when the situation I am in really sets in. I am in dank, dark, dirty cell of the palace tower. I think back to the moment that my father lost his life as Alistair's blade came across his neck. I closed my eyes before they flickered back open again. I stare out the small window that offers a little light at the full moon. I stand from the musty bed and slowly gravitate towards the window. I think about the nights that Cailan would accompany me on a walk to the roof of this tower; for all its irony, and watch the moon until it was high in the night sky. It comes to me that I miss him dearly when a tear falls from my eye "Never shed a tear Anora. Have a stiff upper lip. We never want to see tears on your pretty face." I remember my father saying that to me when I was young. He was all I ever needed. I truly think that upon a closer acquaintance, people would see that my family does not deserve as much judgement as we receive, we are just misunderstood from our rash first impressions.

A guard opens the door and places a plate of indistinguishable food with a broken and scratched wooden mug filled with some brown liquid on the floor. He spits in my "food" and slams the door shut. I decide to ignore the plate and mug, instead returning to the mattress and placing my head on the "pillow". I start to close my eyes before realizing that there was a giant spider aside my face. I screamed without thought and placed myself by the opposite wall. Two guards unlocked my cell door and the bigger of the two grizzled "Aww did the girl find an 8 legged friend? There are millions of them in here. Your new home." They turned and left slamming the door behind them. I despise them. I lean against the wall and slowly slide down it holding my knees as I did as a girl and wished with all my heart that I could open my eyes and this would all go away. When I peeked and saw a black rat eating my meal, I knew that this was real. A literal nightmare that I could never escape from.

I soon realized what I would have to do. If I wanted my throne back, I would need to take my revenge on the Warden and Alistair. Overthrow them just as they had overthrown me. There would still be supporters among the people. They are smart, I just have to wait for one of them to get their way to me so that I can begin my plan. Maybe I can even tip off one or two of the guards with promises of more power than what they have at present. It will just take careful planning. I have friends with power in other countries, things that only come with years of ruling experience. I just have to be careful in choosing which one. Not Celene, I do not trust her, Cailan was all too friendly with her. Suddenly it hit me, Knight-Commander Meredith Stannard was someone very high up in the social ranks of Kirkwall. Even more so than the Viscount, which is common knowledge. She could help me, if I could just get one letter to her. She would be able to use her Templar forces because the Templars of Ferelden were weakened by the attack on the Circle of Magi Tower. She will help. I know that she will. I just have to bide my time until someone is able to reach me. My father's death will not be in vain as Cailan's was. I will not let it be.


End file.
